Category Archives: Portland

Cargo PDX: The (Other) Happiest Place on Earth.

The boys and I took full advantage of our MLK holiday, first by sleeping in and taking our time getting dressed, and then with a no stress trip downtown. While our ultimate destination was Powells (by popular demand), I decided to take the boys on a little side visit to Cargo. They were hesitant at first but as soon as we walked in it was like angels started singing – or perhaps Buddhist chants would have been more appropriate as you’ll see below.

Thomas took it upon himself to try on every hat in the store, as well as a few masks, and then request a photo.

I think this one is Samuel although, honestly, it’s sometimes difficult to tell them apart even without masks on.

Then they both proceeded to pray to every single Buddha in the store. Yet somehow I missed getting a good shot of them both in action – blame low light and fast-moving kids.

Although there’s something I love about this photo of Thomas.

Cargo is not all about hats and Buddhas. It’s like one massive treasure box. Every corner you turn brings new surprises – furniture, toys, mirrors, Kimonos, lanterns, fake birds in cages…

The kids had fun but lacked the stamina to stay as long as I would have liked – especially not after I mentioned the word cookie.

So much fun, and we didn’t have to spend a cent… well, apart from the cookie.

View From the Top: A Hike Around Powell Butte

Today has been a strange one to say the least. Half of my family is sick at home while I’m navigating work craziness. It seems the only person who is even close to normal right now is Samuel and that’s saying something.

As for the weekend… well we had a great Australia Day on Saturday and it went a little downhill from there, complete with some flooding in the basement thanks to a blocked drain. Nothing that couldn’t be fixed but just enough to push a good weekend into not-so-good territory.

So, while I work on uploading photos from our eat-our-way-through-Australia-day, I’ll cheer myself up by sharing some more photos from Powell Butte. Yes, it was weeks ago and, yes, I’ve already posted my photos of Mt Hood from this location, but it’s always a good idea to post photos of a sunny winter adventure when you need a pick-me-up.

It’s also a reminder that blue skies always return eventually.

Not the best photo of Thomas but I like it because he resembles Bigfoot.

Note to self: remove the camera bag before taking a shadow self-portrait.

 

 

Today’s Photo of Two Boys Getting Along

Back to work today after a relaxing long weekend that included swimming lessons, a day at the outlet mall where I didn’t buy anything at all for myself (we took some of Kei’s international colleagues) and a nice, relaxing MLK day with my boys.

I captured this photo while we were out for dinner on Sunday night at a very nice Portland restaurant. It was the type of place where we prepped the boys beforehand about there being no yelling, running around or otherwise drawing attention to themselves. And they both behaved beautifully, even after one of our phones ran out of battery and they were forced to share.

I asked them afterward what they thought about the restaurant. Samuel said the view of the city was the best part. Thomas liked that the servers dressed in suits and ties. When you live in Portland, that’s something you don’t see every day.

A Familiar Sight

It would be interesting to go through all of my photos and see just how many times I have photographed Mt Hood – and from how many different viewpoints. It would be interesting… and very time consuming so likely not going to happen.

This view of Mt Hood captured from Powell Butte on a sunny Portland Winter’s day.

Neighborhood Discoveries and Sub Arctic Portland

Over the break, Kei and I tried our best to get the boys out of the house each day for some sort of physical activity. Sometimes it happened and we wore them out enough for them to sleep well but other days saw us barely getting out of our pajamas. When it’s dark and cold in Portland, the thought of getting dressed can sometimes seem like just too much effort.

On this day, we braved freezing temperatures to ride our bikes to the grocery store and then onto a relatively new playground near our house. Nothing too thrilling, but family time nonetheless and a reminder than we don’t need to hike a mountain to get out and have fun with the kids. The playground was built to be accessible by kids with disabilities and the boys just loved it. I can’t believe it took us so long to try it out. My favorite part? The fake grass that looked and felt almost real but came without a side of mud. I’m tempted to lay some in our backyard.

Oh, and I know for a fact that we were braving freezing temperatures because it started snowing while we were at the playground. Not a blizzard, but a few tiny little flakes. Still, I live in Portland so calls of “it’s snowing!” soon rang across the playground – most of them coming from the adults. Those calls faded when the flakes stopped falling about 3 minutes later.

Samuel struck a pose for this next photo. Watch out America’s Next Top Model.

I asked him to let me take a photo of his pink cheeks and nose.

Getting to know the locals.

This adventure marked the first time that Thomas rode his own bike on the road. Kei rode up front with Samuel in the bike trailer and then I brought up the rear. We took the back streets but it was still a little terrifying to know that my baby could drift into the street at any moment. I may have sounded a little frantic at times as I reminded him to watch the road (not me) and look out for parked cars and keep to the right. Still, he did a great job and only complained that his legs were tired for the last 15 minutes or so.

So proud of him, although I needed to find a little zen of my own after the stressful bike ride.

2012: A Quick Look Back (Part 2)

Part two of my look back at 2012. Part 1 ended in June while we were in Australia. It was a long trip (6 weeks) so July picks up right where we left off.

July

  • Animal fix at the Melbourne Zoo
  • A most sophisticated afternoon tea with the ladies
  • Inspiration overload
  • Boomerang training
  • Kid-free in the city
  • Adorable animal overload
  • Bringing some Australia home to Portland

August

  • Eating his weight in watermelon
  • Random moments of zen
  • Seattle-bound
  • Visting the Star Wars lego window display (an annual Summer tradition)

September

  • First day of 1st Grade and Pre-K (and the first time with two boys at the same school)
  • Seven years old
  • Soccer season part 1
  • Soccer season part 2
  • Lingering days of summer light

October

  • School performance by little bunnies
  • Apple tasting
  • A close encounter with a Big Friendly Giant
  • Bring on the rain and the beautiful colors of Autumn
  • Ninjas, Wizards and Jedi’s.

November

  • Leaf joy
  • Fiery foliage
  • Discovering Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge
  • Quiet moments at Powells
  • Thanksgiving soccer games with friends
  • All aboard the Polar Express

December

  • The countdown to Christmas
  • Christmas Tree hunting
  • Christmas adventures in the city
  • Peacock Lane
  • Family fun
  • Ready for Santa
  • Saying goodbye to 2012 at Zoolights

So, with that, it’s farewell to 2012. It was a good year for the Ishidas and I just know that 2013 is going to bring more joys, challenges and, above all, fun.

Happy New Year!

Wordless Wednesday: Zoolights on the last day of 2012

This year we got it right – arrived just as the sun was setting and the gates opened, boarded the second train with almost no wait and brought our own (delicious) Hot Chocolate and snacks, and dressed appropriately for the below-freezing temperatures. The skies were clear and the air was icy but the kids did not complain once about the cold. The perfect sendoff to 2012.

A Small Flurry: Happy New Year

Happy New Year! We celebrated with a few snow flurries (emphasis on “few”) and a freezing cold walk around Zoolights. After a delicious sushi dinner, the kids stayed up to watch a replay of the London fireworks on YouTube (Samuel declared them better than Sydney) and then the ball drop on East Coast time. Kei and I shared a bottle of champagne and managed to make it until 12:01 before calling it a night. We’re party animals.

I’ll be back later with more pictures of Zoolights, and a few favorite photos from 2012. For now, I’ll share a couple of photographs that I titled “spot the snowflake”

Wishing you a great start to 2013.